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This is an essay. It is not a policy or guideline, it simply reflects some opinions of its authors. Discuss this essay on the talk page or in the comments below. |
The discussion of Veil’s character, his development and the reasons why he became that way is probably the most controversial topic of Redwall fandom, and since I recently reread ‘Outcast of Redwall’, I wanted to add my own musings as well. Please note that I read some of the essays written by other fans before writing my own, so it may have influenced my opinion. There are no definite questions that I want to answer, but rather to reflect on the characters themselves and their development.
Many of the fans debate on whether Veil was born evil or was Veil forced into evilness due to the upbringing he received? I lean toward the second option, but for different reasons than most readers. Many people point out that Veil from the young age had been blamed for everything that was going wrong on the grounds of him being a ferret, but I want to point out something else. Firstly, let’s not forget that Veil was actually guilty of theft in those cases that we had seen him accused of. Secondly, were all the Redwallers so cruel to Veil? Abbess Meriam actually reprimands Friar Bunfold for twisting Veil’s ear, and states that Veil is not to be accused of thievery without proof. And while Togget mainly tolerates Veil because of Bryony, he is still friendly to the ferret, and there is an episode where Heartwood and Brother Barlom send Veil to rest in the gatehouse when he doesn't feel well. So even if some of the Redwallers were harsh on Veil, especially Bunfold and Myrtle, there also were those who treated him fairy – and let’s not forget that Bunfold and Myrtle, being the cooks, probably suffered the morst from Veil’s shenanigans.
My opinion may be unpopular, but I think that Bryony is also to blame for Veil’s behaviour because she completely spoiled him. She would always defend Veil before everybeast, no matter what he did, and claim that he would change and do better the next time, and so Veil had learned that he can get away with everything if he plays the victim and gets Bryony on his side – and he does just that when he gets accused of stealing Friar Bunfold’s honey pot, he calls for Bryony and hides behind her back. Was it possible for Veil not to grow up as a villain? I think yes, but only if somebeast else stepped forward to aid Bryony, balancing her motherly kindness and compassion with firm but just fatherly sternness. And no matter what were Veil's reasons for his behaviour and whether he was stealing because he were always blamed for it or he was blamed for it because he was stealing, Veil still attempted murder for the sole reason that Friar Bunfold was mean to him and twisted his ear. And never once afterwards Veil showed regret or remorse for that act – truly, the only thing he appeared to be sorry for was that his victim survived.
Another argument I have often seen arise in similar discussions is that Veil only acted with anger and malice toward Redwallers because they mistreated him and never trusted him, so he decided that he as well can be bad if he is going to be blamed regardless of what he does. Personally, I think that we saw too little of Veil’s life in Redwall to make a correct judgement, since we jumped from him being a wee baby immediately to him being a grown beast and a notorious thief. However, let’s not forget Veil's encounter with Ole Hoffy, a poor wanderer who shared his food and drink with Veil and gave him blankets to sleep under and asked nothing in return, and Veil thanked him by robbing him and his grandchildren. That’s not an act of a beast who pays evil with evil – instead, he pays with evil in return for the kindness shown to him.
However, despite the harshness with which I judge Veil, there is one thing I can understand and relate to in his character, and that’s his angry reaction at discovering that Bryony followed him and his hostility toward her. Whatever Veil’s actions may be, he had just been exiled from the only home he'd known, and even though the punishment is justified, it's natural that he would be angry at all Redwallers, Bryony included. From Veil's point of view his lack of gratitude and his animosity toward Bryony and Togget are nothing but righteous anger. That also explains a lot of Veil's actions afterwards. Not many remember that before saving Bryony's life in the final, Veil sealed her and Togget in a cave just a couple of chapters earlier. There is no way of knowing whether the cave had another exit, so there is a possibility that Bryony and Togget could have starved or suffocated if Sunflash hadn't rescued them. Why Veil did this? He was certainly motivated by anger, but I don't think that he truly meant to kill Bryony. Above everything else, it appears that Veil just wanted to stop Bryony from following him and did everything he could to make it so. In fact, it's noted that Veil originally intended to just abandon Bryony and Togget in the tunnels, but then saw an overhanging boulder and acted on an impulse, unwilling to miss the opportunity.
Now, let’s get to the final confrontation between Veil and Swartt. Bryony herself asks whether or not Veil would’ve sacrificed himself if he knew that Swartt’s blow would be lethal, but I don’t think that’s the right question. Veil attacked his father without hesitation just to allow Bryony to escape, he fought for her despite all the harsh words thrown in her face and all the times he told her to stop following her. In my eyes, there is no doubt that despite all that, deep down Veil loved Bryony as a mother, and that’s why he defended her - moreover, I think that his love for her was his only redeeming trait. Instead, there is another question that should be asked: can one display of goodness, one noble need, atone for a lifetime of evil? Eventually, I don’t think that Veil's love for Bryony makes him a truly good beast. The love for one’s family is not a merit of one’s goodness, because it’s possible for a villain to love their family and still remain evil: Vizka Longtooth seemed to sincerely grieve for his brother’s death, Barranca started a war over his brother, and Antigra loved her son blindly. This doesn’t make them good, however, it does make them more complex. Same with Veil – in my opinion, his final sacrifice can’t compensate for all the harm he had caused, but it did show that there was more than evil to him.
Bryony's words after Veil's death, when she states that she wasn’t sure whether Veil would’ve given his life for her if he had known he would die and calls him bad, are even more controversial. I once read a fan theory that explained Bryony’s words as just a way for her to cope with her grief over losing Veil: she couldn’t live without Veil and so she tried to distance herself from him, thus shutting out her pain. I consider this to be a sensible theory, but I'm going to discuss that in detail as well. First of all, I want to note that to the very end, Bryony refers to Veil as ‘my Veil’, even as he lies dying in her paws. In the end, I think that Abbess Meriam was right in saying that there was some good in Veil, even though it cost him his life to show it – and I would add that this good probably would have never showed under different circumstances. But wasn't Bryony also right when she said that Veil never performed one act of kindness to any living creature in all his life, aside from that last sacrifice? Willingly or not, but Veil brought Redwallers and other woodlanders a lot of grief, and bad luck seemed to follow him wherever he went. I don’t think it was possible for Veil’s story to have a happy ending, because even if he survived the javelin throw, I doubt he would’ve found peace. He certainly wouldn’t have wanted to return to Redwall and he wouldn’t have been content living alone in the woods as Blaggut did. In a way, sacrifice through death was truly the only way he could redeem himself…